Blade Liger
The Blade Liger is a liger type Zoid, a race of mechanical lifeforms from the fictional Zoids universe. The Blade Liger features heavily in the first two anime series’, Zoids: Chaotic Century and Zoids: Guardian Force, as it is piloted by the main character, Van Flyheight. It also plays secondary roles in the Zoids: New Century Zero and Zoids: Fuzors anime and in the Battle Story. Overview While the Shield Liger's capabilities were solid for its day, the Blade Liger improves upon them, being faster and more agile than its predecessor. It also gains new weaponry, the most noticeable being a pair of laser-edged blades capable of cutting through all but the densest of enemy armor. Its energy shield is enhanced with the addition of four cooling units located in the white "fins" of its shoulder armor. Like the Shield Liger, it sports a shock cannon, and the Pulse Laser Guns found on the blunt sides of the blades add to the Zoid's limited ranged-combat ability. In the anime Chaotic Century, Van Flyheight's Shield Liger evolves into the first Blade Liger with the help of his organoid Zeke. In contrast, much of the Blade Liger's enhanced performance in the battle story comes from the newly-discovered Organoid System built into the Zoid's design, which was used in upgrading it from a Shield Liger and increases its capabilities compared to a "normal" Zoid. Battle Story appearances The arrival of the Geno Saurer in ZAC 2099 posed a severe problem for the Helic army's forces on the Western Continent. With its high performance and devastating Charged Particle Cannon, the Genosaurer was more than a match for anything that their forces fielded. When upgrades of the Shield Liger and Gojulas proved to be difficult to use, the Republic developed a new Zoid, the Blade Liger. The Blade Liger's high performance made it a dangerous opponent, capable of matching up against the Genosaurer and other new Guylos Zoids. However, the Guylos Empire created a new Zoid to counter it, the Geno Breaker. Against the Geno Breaker, the tables were again turned against the Blade Liger. Despite this, the Blade Liger was still an effective fighter, especially after the development of the Attack Booster System, allowing it to again go toe-to-toe with the cutting-edge technology of the new Guylos Zoid. A Blade Liger was also instrumental in the defeat of the rogue Death Stinger. Problems with manufacturing the Organoid System limited the production of the Blade Liger. As a result, it was largely replaced in frontline service after the new Liger Zero was deployed in ZAC 2101. Media appearances Anime Chaotic Century The Blade Liger first appeared in Zoids: Chaotic Century mid-way through the series. After Van's Shield Liger was destroyed by Raven's Geno Saurer, his Organoid, Zeke, and the Ancient Zoidian, Fiona, merged with the wreck. The Zoid "evolved" into a new form, over the course of several days, to create the Blade Liger, a completely unique Zoid. It was this first appearance where Dr. D named the Zoid, based of the steel blades it was equipped with. Van used the Blade Liger for the remainder of the series, defeating both Raven's Geno Saurer and Prozen's Death Saurer with it. 's Blade Liger]] Guardian Force Van continued to use the Blade Liger throughout Zoids: Guardian Force. During the course of the series, the Blade Liger was upgraded to include several completely new weapons, such as a system that could quickly switch out the Pulse laser guns attached to the blades for sniper rifles or gatling guns. To neutralize charged particles and counter the Geno Saurer, the Blade Liger's sheild was upgraded, and it also sported the CP-12 attack boosters upgrade for a short time. At the arrival of the Geno Breaker Van's Blade Liger was upgraded for higher performance and maneuvrability. Over the course of the series the Liger survived many near fatal attacks. Still, Van used the Zoid to great effect throughout the series, at one point even having to upgrade the Blade Liger in order to keep up with his own speed. New Century Zero Leon Toros used a red Blade Liger during Zoids: New Century Zero. This Zoid proved to be powerful in close combat, but was not without its defensive limitations. Oddly enough, given the Blade Liger's very specific origins in Chaotic Century, nothing is stated as to where Leon's Zoid came from. It was stated, though, that the Blade Liger was a rare Zoid, and a red one was even rarer. The Blade Liger is one of the Liger Zero's opponents during the series, and was able to match up against the Zero in close combat. However, it never managed to officially defeat it. The Blade Liger also appeared in the Royal Cup, during which the Liger Zero is used it's Schneider armour. The Blade Liger was able to counter the Zero Schneider's Buster Slash attack, but it was over-powered and defeated by the new Seven-Blade attack. Despite loosing the battle, the Blade Liger managed to rend the Schneider inoperable, forcing the Liger Zero to use the Panzer and the basic armour for its remaining battle against the Berserk Fury. This last fight between the Blade Liger and Liger Zero is often the cause of much speculation among fans as to the origin of the red Blade Liger. The final attack Leon uses, is almost identical to the attack Van used against the second Death Saurer. Not only that, but due to the timing of Dr Layon's explanation of ultimate X Zoids, it is implicitly implied that the Blade Liger may posses some of the characteristics of an ultimate X(Blade Ligers also have an orginiod system). However, this is merely speculation, and no supporting evidence is given to back up these claims. Fuzors The main appearances of the Blade Liger in Zoids: Fuzors were associated with Rastani and the Black Impact Team. Unlike in the previous series', the Blade Liger was depicted as a common Zoid, albeit a high-performance one. These Blade Ligers are notable as being the first Zoids to fight against a Fuzor, the Killer Spiner, which was able to destroy all three of them effortlessly. The only other Blade Liger seen in the series was destroyed with other Zoids set for destruction, this Blade Liger had white color scheme. The original Blade Liger's animation model differed significantly from the model's design, possessing a far wider body, along with a differently-shaped mouth, producing what some fans regarded as a 'goofy grin'. The animation model used in Fuzors was heavily revised, resulting in an appearance that corresponded better to the model. The Blade Liger's blades glow blue in Fuzors, as opposed to the yellow of the previous two series. The only Blade Ligers seen in combat belonged to the Black Impact Team of custom Blade Ligers, so the blue laser blades could be part of their modifications. Manga Chaotic Century After Caesar (Van's Shield Liger) was heavily damaged during the fight to protect the town of Porto from Raven and the Genosaurer, it became snagged on a power line leading from Wendeen (the ancient Zoid that provided wind power to Porto). Thanks to the combined efforts of Fiona and Wendeen, Caesar was encased in a heart-shaped cocoon on Wendeen's body, letting Caesar evolve into its Blade Liger form. Caesar continued to fight as a Blade Liger until the fight against the Death Stinger, where it was heavily damaged. Its core was then transplanted into the frame of the Republic's new Liger type—the Zero. In the manga, there are a handful of changes to the Blade Liger's abilities. Notable among them is that the E-Shield can be focused in any direction, and can be used to support the Blade Liger over water. Video Games The Blade Liger made appearances in several video games, including the Zoids Saga and Zoids VS series. It plays a moderate role in both, piloted by Van during a time shift and at the end of the game in Zoids Saga II (Zoids Legacy). Both Van and Leon's Blade Liger make appearances in Zoids VS II (Zoids Battle Legends), where they are fought separately in Battle Mode. The Blade Liger Leon by in-game stats is the most powerful version, and the second time you fight Van in Battle Mode, he is piloting a Blade Liger AB, even though he only piloted one for a short time in the show. In the Game Boy Color game Jashin Fukkatsu!, Van starts piloting a Shield Liger, which you can upgrade to either a Shield Liger Mk.II or a Blade Liger (though neither option involves evolution)...or sell and replace with another Zoid of your choosing. There are also wild Blade Ligers. In Silver Zero, the Blade Liger is found wild in the areas before Hope Tower. By default, it has very high attack and solid defense on the physical/melee part of its stats, making it useful to catch and use against the final boss. Models New Japanese Release *Assembly required. (Snap-together, no glue needed. Scissors or X-acto knife recommended for trimming off excess plastic bits.) *The model's colors are molded into the plastic, and it does not need any paint; however some details are pre-painted. The Blade Liger kit comes on six frames (two of which are shared with the Shield Liger), along with a battery-powered motor (based on that used by the Shield Liger), a semi-transparent canopy cover, sixteen rubber caps, and a frame containing mini figures of the Zoids anime characters Van, Fiona and Zeke. The Zoid's teeth and claws are made out of metal. The Blade Liger is molded in blue, black, and grey, with gold teeth and claws and an orange canopy, and features a painted white trim. The Blade Liger’s construction isn’t overly complex or difficult, putting it roughly in the middle of the range for Zoid complexity. Due to the number of frames shared with the Shield Liger, there are several parts left over when built. The Blade Liger uses a pair of "AAA" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards with its jaws chomping. The Blade Liger also features two movable panels on its mane, a pair of retractable boosters, and a pair of blades that can be moved into a variety of positions. The Blade Liger's molding has been somewhat inconsistent; many Blade Ligers have loose or poorly-fitting parts, especially the head. There is no real consistency, with individuals within production runs having different issues. In some cases, different parts of each Blade Liger may or may not be painted, and two different canopy colors have been seen in production. Later examples of the NJR production run replaced the metal components with plastic equivalents. The Zoid's cockpit is specially designed for the anime pilot figures, and as a result a normal Zoid pilot figure will not fit properly. Blade Ligers sold in secondary markets, (like China) commonly have plastic teeth and claws, instead of metal ones like the Philippines. TOMY also released an upgrade kit for the Blade Liger, the CP-12 Attack Boosters. The Boosters are mounted on the Blade Liger's blades, and can be positioned to act as boosters or a second pair of shock cannons. Additionally, the Blade Liger can also use the CP-15 Assault Gatling Unit. Several chromed versions were made by Leoshop as contest prizes. Blade Liger Leon A limited edition version of the Blade Liger was released as a magazine exclusive in 2000, based on the version Leon Toros used in New Century Zero. The Zoid was recoloured in red and black, and lacked the frame of anime figures, instead coming with a standard grey Zoid pilot figure. New American Release The Blade Liger was re-released in North America by Hasbro in 2001. This version was based on the Blade Liger Leon, although the red was a lighter colour and the legs were light grey instead of black. Additionally, the Zoid came with plastic teeth and feet, and did not have any pilot figure supplied. The Zoid was also re-released in near identical packaging as a part of the New Pacific Release. Blade Liger Mirage This limited edition version of the Blade Liger was released in Japan in 2003 under the Yuji Kaida line of re-issues. It was recoloured with white armour and black legs, and the white trim repainted red. Additionally, it included a repainted CP-12 Attack Booster. This version had a standard pilot figure. Blade Liger Mirage Infinity An even more limited version of the Blade Liger Mirage version. It was the same with the earlier Mirage except for the trim which was changed to pink. It came with a blue CP-12 Attack Booster. New European Release TOMY released the Blade Liger in England in 2003. This version was identical in colouration to the NJR version, but had plastic teeth and fangs. Like the NJR version, the NER version suffered from very inconstant production. Limited Blade Liger Hasbro created another version of the Blade Liger for North American release. This version was coloured metallic grey with black legs, as well as a standard blue pilot figure. The Zoid was scheduled for a late 2003 or early 2004 release, but due to the cancellation of the line, the Zoid never reached production. A few prototypes, complete with packaging, are known to exist. Forest and Night Fight Blade Liger This limited edition Zoid was released solely in Asian markets in 2004. The Zoid was recoloured in dull brown and light blue, with a lime-green trim and a yellow canopy. This version came with the same sprue of anime figures that were released with the New Japanese Release Blade Liger, and had plastic teeth and claws. Blade Liger Black Impact This limited edition version was released in 2004 as a part of the Fuzors model line. Based on the Blade Ligers in the series, this version is identical to the unreleased Limited Blade Liger, and may have been produced from left-over unreleased stock. This version had metal teeth and fangs, and came with a standard pilot figure. High-end Master Model Also known as the HMM Blade Liger, this 1/72nd scale model was released in 2007. Made without any mechanical moving parts whatsoever, it has a far greater range of poseability as opposed to previous models. Its molding was also done in greater detail, making the finished product truer to the original anime. In September 2009, a Japan only limited edition Blade Liger AB Van Specification will be released in the Japanese model hobby show by order only. It comes with a detailed Van and Fiona pilot figures as well as a Zeke figure that can be transformed into a Zoid Core. There are rumors that the Zoid may become an official HMM limited edition kit and is planned to be released in November-December of 2009, however, there is no official announcement, and thus, is unconfirmed. A few pre-orders of the kit have recently been made availible on e-bay ''and are fairly priced. File:Hmm_bliger.jpg|''HMM Blade Liger File:Hmm_bligerab.jpg|''HMM'' Blade Liger Leon File:Hmm_bliger_v.jpg|''HMM'' Blade Liger AB Van Specification Category:Zoids Category:Liger-Type Zoids Category:Helic Republic Zoids